Car truck



June 1s, 1946. D M ,GHT 2,402,502

' CAR TRUCK Filed March 2,'1944 rlw/ \/7\ l y Q10 52 Z6 Mo I. y

| INVENToR.'

50 "-1 y 023%@ mig/w Patented June 18, 1946 CAR TRUCK David M. Light, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 2, 1944, Serial No. 524,694

19 Claims. 1

My invention relates to railway car trucks and more particularly to a spring plankless type truck.

The general object of my invention is to design a novel tying arrangement for maintaining the truck side frames and bolster in squared relationship.

In my novel arrangement a tie bar extends between the side frames and is received at each end thereof within a pocket formed in the inboard side of the associated frame, each frame being provided with interlocking lugs received within complementary openings in the tie bar. A novel spring unit is disposed within each pocket under compression between the top wall thereof and the tie bar, said unit comprising a spring seated against the bar and a spring cap bearing against the top wall of the side frame pocket.

Another object of my invention is to provide novel retaining means for maintaining the spring unit in assembled relationship with the side frame, said retaining means including a securing member, such as a cotter pin, extending through aligned openings through the spring cap and through side frame lugs depending at opposite sidesI thereof.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of cooperating wedge means on the spring cap and side frame facilitating entrance of the spring unit into the side frame pocket.

My invention comprehends a side frame of novel form comprising a pocket in the inboard side thereof dened by the top chord of the tension member and by a substantially horizontal flange projecting beneath said top chord. The flange is provided with spaced upstanding lugs for reception within the associated tie bar openings, and the tension member top chord is formed with a wedge or chamfered surface at the outer eX- tremity of the pocket for cooperation with the spring unit as above described.

My invention also comprehends a spring cap member of novel form including a spring pocket intermediate the ends thereof and a wedge or chamfered surface at the forward end thereof for cooperation with the complementary side frame surface. The cap is provided adjacent its rear extremity with a cotter pin opening for the reception of retaining means, such as a Cotter pin, operable to maintain the spring cap in assembled relationship with the side frame.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway car truck embodying my invention, and Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the transverse vertical plane indicated by the line 2.-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the bolster removed and the side frame illustrated in section through the columns thereof.

Describing my invention in detail, the side frame comprises a compression member 2, a tension member 4, and a column 6 adjacent each end of the frame defining with said members a window opening 8 and a central bolster opening IU having a widened upper portion I2 serving'a purpose hereinafter described. Beneath the bolster opening the tension member 4 is of box section comprising the top and bottom chords I4 and I6 (Figure 2) and the inboard and outboard webs I8 and 2B, said top chord being widened and formed with upstandng inboard and outboard flanges 22 and 24 dening a spring seat 26.

A plurality of bolster supporting springs 28, 28 are mounted on the spring seat 26 and afford support in the usual manner for the bolster generally designated 30. At each side thereof the bolster is provided with inboard and outboard guide lugs 32 and 34 cooperating with the adjacent column 6 to afford an interlock between the side frame and bolster, the outboard lugs 34, 34 being of less depth than the widened upper portion I2 of the bolster opening to afford a quick wheel change wherein the bolster may be elevated in the bolster opening and removed therefrom while the springs 28, 28 remain in normal assembled relationship with the side frame. It may be noted that the bolster is of the form shown and described in my (zo-pending application, Serial No. 436,731 and is provided at each side thereof with a pocket 36 (Figure 2) for the reception of a friction absorbing device (not shown) cooperating with the adjacent column to dampen oscillations of the springs 28, `28.

The tension member 4 comprises a tie bar pocket 38 in the inboard side thereof defined by the top chord I4, the horizontal flange 40 eX- tending therebeneath as a continuation of the bottom chord l, and by the spaced end walls 42, 42 integrally formed with said flange 40 and said top chord I4. The flange 40 is provided with a pair of spaced upstanding lugs 44, 44 received within complementary openings 4B, 46 in the tie bar 43 which is seated on the flange 40 and projects into the pocket 38. It may be noted that the bar` 4S is provided at opposite sides thereof with opstanding anges 50, 50,' said flanges being relieved at 52 to accommodate entrance of the tie bar into the pocket 38.

A spring unit is provided for resiliently maintaining the tie bar in tight engagement with the flange 4l), thus preventing rattling 0f the bar under service conditions and maintaining the bar in interlocking engagement with the lugs 44, 44, as will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art. The spring unit includes a compressed spring 54, herein illustrated as a, coil spring, and a spring cap member 55 housing said spring and bearing against the top chord I4 of the tension member within the pocket 38. The top of the spring cap 56 is provided with a wedge or chamfered surface 58 at its forward end for cooperaf tion with a complementary surface 60 formed on the top chord I4 at the outer extremity of the pocket 38.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the spring cap and spring are placed in assembled relationship on the tie bar 48 and are urged into the pocket 38, the cooperating surfaces 58 and 6I) functioning to wedge the spring cap 56 downwardly, thereby compressing the spring 54 as the cap and spring are urged as a unit into the pocket. After the cap has been moved inwardly to the position illustrated in the drawings, a cotter pin or other suitable retaining means 62 is inserted through aligned openings extending through the spring cap and through spaced lugs G4, 64 depending from the top chord I4.

It may be noted that the rear extremity of the spring cap 56 is provided with a substantially flat vertical surface 65 affording a generous bearing area for engagement with an associated tool, such as a hammer, by means of which the spring unit is urged into the pocket 38 during an assembly operation, and a lug 68 projects upwardly from the rear extremity of the spring cap for engagement with a tool by means of which the spring cap may be withdrawn from the pocket 38 during disassembly of the tie bar from the side frame.

It may also be noted that the top chord I4 is provided with an opening 'IB therethrough which may accommodate an implement such as a crow bar by means of which the spring cap 56 may be pried out of the pocket 38 during disassembly of the side frame and tie bar under ,conditions wherein the springs 28, 28 and the bolster 30 are dissociated from the side frame.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiment of the device shown which is merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising top and bottom members and spaced columns defining therewith a bolster opening, said bottom member being of box section beneath said bolster opening with the top chord of said box section widened and formed with upstanding inboard and outboard flanges defining a spring seat, springs on said seat, a bolster supported by said springs in said bolster opening, a substantially horizontal flange extending from the inboard side of said bottom member beneath said top chord and defining therewith a pocket, upstanding lugs on said horizontal flange, a tie bar seated on said horizontal flange and comprising openings receiving respective lugs, and a spring unit compressed between said bar and said top chord, said unit including a spring bearing against said bar, and a spring cap on said spring bearing against said top chord, said cap including a Vsaid pocket during disassembly of said unit and Y said frame.

2. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising top and bottom members and spaced columns defining therewith a bolster opening, said bottom member being of box section beneath said bolster opening with the top chord of said box section widened and formed with upstanding inboard and outboard flanges defining a spring seat, springs on said seat, a bolster supported by said springs in said bolster opening, a substantially horizontal flange extending from the inboard side of said bottom member beneath said top chord and dening therewith a pocket, upstanding lugs on said horizontal flange, a tie bar seated on said horizontal flange and com-- prising openings receiving respective lugs, and a spring unit compressed between said bar and said top chord, said unit including a spring bearing against said bar, and a spring cap on said spring bearing against said top chord, said cap including a wedge surface on the top of the forward extremity thereof, and a wedge surface on said top chord at the outer extremity of said pocket for cooperation with said first-mentioned wedge surface during entrance of said unit into said pocket.

3. In a railway c'ar truck, a side frame comprising top and bottom members and spaced columns defining therewith a bolster opening, said bottom member being of box section beneath said bolster opening with the top chord of said box section widened and formed with upstanding inboard and outboard flanges defining a spring seat, springs on said seat, a bolster supported by said springs in said bolster opening, a substantially horizontal flange extending from the inboard side of said bottom member beneath said top chord and defining therewith a pocket, upstanding lugs on said horizontal flange, a tie bar seated on said horizontal flange and comprising openings receiving respective lugs, a spring unit compressed between said bar and said top chord, said unit including a spring bearing against said bar and a spring cap on said spring seated against said top chord, and securing means extending through said cap and through depending means on said top chord.

4. In a railway car truck, a frame member, a load carrying element resiliently supported therefrom, a pocket in the inboard side of said frame member, a tie bar member extended into said pocket and seated against and interlocked with a portion of said frame member, and a spring unit comprising a spring seated against one of said members, a spring cap bearing against said spring and seated against the other member, and complementary wedge means on said other member and said cap formed and arranged for engagement as said unit is entered into said pocket.

5. In a railway car truck, a frame member com..

prising a tie bar pocket, a tie bar member ex-I tended into said pocket, and a spring unit compressed between said members and comprising a spring and a spring cap, each bearing against abutment means on one of said members. complementary wedge'means on said cap andits associated member formed and arranged for engagement as said unit is entered into said pocket, and means engaged with said cap and said associated member for retaining said unit within said pocket.

6. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns and an intervening bolster opening, a bolster resilienty supported within said opening, a pocket in the inboard side of said frame beneath said opening, a tie bar extending into said pocket, means securing said bar therewithin, said securing means including a spring unit compressed between said bar and the top wall of said pocket, said spring unit including a spring seated on said bar and a spring cap compressed against said spring and bearing against said top wall, and cooperating wedge surfaces on the forward extremity of said cap and on said top wall at the outer extremity of said pocket, said wedge surfaces being engageable as said unit is entered into Said pocket.

7. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns and an intervening bolster opening, a bolster resiliently supported within said opening, a pocket in the inboard side of said frame beneath said opening, a tie bar extending into said pocket, meang` securing said bar therewithin, said securing means including a spring unit compressed between said bar and the top wall of said pocket, said spring unit including a spring seated on said bar and a spring cap come pressed against said spring and bearing against said top wall, and complementary Wedge means on said cap and top wall formed and arranged for cooperation during entrance of said unit into said pocket.

8. In a side frame for a railway car truck, top and bottom members and spaced columns dening therewith a bolster opening, said bottom member being of box section beneath said bolster opening with the top chord of said box section widened to form a spring seat, a pocket in the inboard side of said frame defined by said top chord and by a horizontal flange projecting from said bottom memberebeneath said chord, a wedge surface formed on said top chord at the outer extremity of said pocket, and spaced lugs depending from said top chord at opposite sides of said surface, said lugs having aligned openings therethrough for the reception of associated securing means.

9. In a side frame for a railway car truck, top and bottom members and spaced columns dening therewith a bolster opening, a tie bar pocket in the inboard side of said bottom member beneath said bolster opening, and a wedge surface formed on said bottom member within said pocket at the outer extremity thereof and sloping inwardly of said pocket toward the longitudinal center line of the side frame.

10. In a side frame for a railway oar truck, top and bottom members and spaced columns defining therewith a bolster opening, said bottom member being of box section beneath said bolster opening with the top wall of said box section forming a spring seat, a pocket in the inboard side of said frame dened by said top wall and by a horizontal wall projecting from said bottom member, and a wedge surface formed on one of said walls within said pocket at the outer extremity thereof, said surface being angularly arranged with respect to said walls to slope toward the longitudinal center line of the side frame.

11. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns and an intervening bolster opening, a bolster resiliently supported within said opening, a pocket in the inboard side of said frame beneath said opening, a tie bar extending into said pocket and interlocked with said frame, and a spring unit including a spring seated on said bar, and a spring cap housing said spring, said cap and said frame comprising complementary wedge means formed and arranged for engagement as said spring unit is entered into said pocket.

12. In a spring cap for a railway car truck, a hollow member having a spring cavity intermediate its ends, an opening through said member adjacent one end thereof for the reception of securing means, a, wedge surface on the top of said member at the opposite end thereof, and a lu'g projecting upwardly from the first-mentioned end of said member, said lug being formed and arranged for cooperation with an associated tool, by means of which said cap may be removed from an associated truck frame pocket.

13. In a side frame for a railway car truck, top and bottom members and spaced columns defining therewith a bolster opening, said bottom member being of box section beneath said bolster opening with the top chord of said box section widened to form a spring seat, a pocket in the inboard side of said frame dened by said top chord and by a horizontal flange projecting from said bottom member, and a wedge surface formed on said top chord at the outer extremity of said pocket and sloping inwardly of said pocket toward the longitudinal center line of the side frame.

14. In a railway car truck, a side frame, a bolster spring-supported therefrom, a tie bar pocket in said frame beneath said bolster, a tie bar in said pocket and interlocked with said frame, and a spring unit comprising resilient means compressed against said bar for maintaining the latter in assembled relationship with said frame, said unit and said frame comprising wedge means adapted for engagement as said unit is entered into said pocket, whereby said resilient means is compressed against said bar.

15. In a railway car truck, a side frame member, a bolster spring-supported therefrom, a tie bar pocket in said frame member beneath the level of said bolster, a tie bar member projecting into said pocket and interlocked with said frame member, and a spring unit comprising resilient means under compression between said members for maintaining said bar member in assembled relationship with said frame member, said unit and one of said members comprising wedge means adapted for engagement to compress said resilient means as said unit is entered into Isaid pocket.

16. In a side frame for a railway car truck, a tie bar pocket in the inboard side of said frame, and a wedge surface formed on said frame Within said pocket at the inboard extremity thereof and sloping toward the longitudinal center line of the side frame.

17. In a railway car truck, a side frame, a tie bar pocket in the inboard side of said frame, a tie bar extending into said pocket, means connecting said tie bar to said frame, and a spring unit comprising resilient means under compression between said frame and tie bar, said unit and said frame comprising wedge means adapted for engagement to compress said resilient means as said unit is entered into said pocket.

18. In a railway car truck, a side frame member, a tie bar pocket in the inboard side of said frame member, a tie bar member extending into said pocket, means connecting said tie bar member to said frame member, a spring unit comprising resilient means under compression between 5 said members, said unit and one of said members comprising Wedge means adapted for engagement to compress said resilient means as said unit is entered into said pocket, and means en- 19. In a railway car truck, a side frame member, a tie bar pocket in the nboard side of said frame member, a tie bar member extending into said pocket, means connecting said tie bar member to said frame member, and a spring unit comprising resilient means under compression between said members, said unit and one of said members comprising Wedge means adapted for engagement to compress said resilient means as gaged with said unit and said frame member for 10 said unit is entered into said pocket.

retaining said unit Within said pocket.

DAVID M. LIGHT. 

